De Monte Verde
by Skittle Trees Exist
Summary: Mild rebelion and promiscuity in PostWar Spain had thoroughly lost it's charm. Fran feels that a change is in order.
1. The Chance Meeting

De Monte Verde

by Alice Clapp.

Chapter One

The Chance Meeting 

The sun lazily made its over the distant hills of Borgia. An intrusive ray crept through red rags standing in for tattered curtains. Cesare stirred a bit in his sleep as the spotted red glow rested on that odd face of his. Luckily he did not wake. And after a few unintelligible grunts, he returned to whatever he was dreaming in that creepy little mind of his. I folded the rags over, so as to create more resistance against the dawn. I didn't need him catching up to me making me stay longer; I was already late as it was. The silly boy did like me too much. After covering my loose cotton slip dress in a painfully dull pale blue one, I helped myself to whatever loose coins that I happened to come across on my way out his front door.

I squinted.

Dawn had passed. I was late. I was in no mood to run today.

" 'Uncle' will just have to suffer the indignity of yanking the cow's teats himself." I muttered slowing down my pace.

I don't remember the last time it had rained, but the road suffered from it. I stopped to secure my shoe upon my foot and dust kicked forward before settling behind me in cloud lowly hung upon the ground. People were out of their homes, hopping into the rhythm of everyday peasant labor. Many of who were women who scowled at the sight of me being so idle as to walk so comfortably in the morning. I merely smiled and continued my way. I didn't need anything from women who fought fiercely to merely win a carrot for dinner. I was rather lucky. Spain was not an easy place to survive when not attached to a city or a lord of some sort. But these days, Spanish nobles were greedier than ever. The foolishness of the war had quite drained the land.

"Perfectly impossible rich men are. So many hungry men lost their lives to claim the 'greatness' that was the Spanish Empire. Merely to see it exhausted of everything trying to save itself for one man-" I jumped upon a boulder on the bend of the road and belted, "_Largo vive el Rey Philip el quinto de España Hermosa! Que él encuentra más conviniendo aqui que Francia envidiosa! _" A family nearby gave me a most foul look, so I returned to the road and my awaiting flour-like cloud and continued home.

The road then made another bend, so I could see the enormous plantation of the Marquis de Vallado below. It was beautiful, the vast fields of grape vines and other crops were wonderful to behold. Not many were able to admire the beauty that was the valley. But not many had the luxory to stop work to look at a passing humming bird. Free Peasants we were but serf-like burdens never left many shoulders. I had my mother to thank that I did not have to toil so much in my life, if at all. But stay, I had too. Until 'Uncle' saw it fit that I could leave.

"Oh! Uncle! Right, I should be on my way now." A boy passed by looking at me strangely as he carried a bucket of water.

I winked, "Inglés, mi amor, Inglés."

He smiled and hurried back home I imagine, and so did I but in more leisure a manner, "When will 'Uncle' see it fit to let me go? I am already 18, unmarried but nevertheless able to take care of myself. I am rather sure that I will never marry. But I do not intend to age into an old maid tending my bar. MY tavern, not his, MINE. He may think he owns me, but that is far from the truth."

I spat on the ground trying to look as ruggedly imposing as possible, "If I were to leave this very moment, he would be found dead in a ditch somewhere by one of the Marquis' serfs." I sighed. If I were to leave, he wouldn't be able to get on very well, would he.

"Ohhh mother, why did you have to leave me in such a ridiculous man's charge?"

The sun was at its highest point when I reached town. I was about to turn onto the alley that held my mother's settled drinkery, when I heard the nice little jingle of unspent coins. Boots would be nice.

I made a dramatic spin onto the opposite side street. It lead to a nice abundance of clothing stores. Many of which owned by Irish merchants from Cádiz. I was delighted when I heard a familiar bellowing voice.

"Bless me! Miss Fran! Hawareya?"

"My situation is an absolutely deplorable one, Dear Sir O'Farrel. I seem to have much too many coins, and a most pitiful lack of leather boots!" Hand placed on forehead, I continued, "Oh! If there was anyone who could save me from such a plight! …Anyone?"

O'Farrel chuckled merrily

"Per'aps I can be o' some-"

"Comfortable ones," I interrupted with hand still on forehead, "Comfortable leather boots. Oh! Not those silly little fashionable lady boots. Real ones like…" I lowered my hand to my cheek to allow any passerby the pleasure of knowing that I was thinking, "Pirate boots. Yes, functional comfortable leather pirate boots. None of this shackle business, savvy?" He nodded rather haphazardly and left the canvas awning and entered his store.

A body stepped behind me and whispered in my ear, "Piracy is unlawful, even in places with no sea." My hand left my cheek hoping to meet the man's. But was caught before reaching its destination.

"If you will be so kind as to release my hand." He complied. I did a shallow curtsy, "_Almirante_."

He made a sly grin, "Oh, Miss Francesca you choose to be formal at the oddest times."

"I thought that you were the one that held the strong belief of serfdom being beneath you."

"But you are no serf Miss Francesca. Quite far from it if I do say so myself. Serfs are not allowed to enter a life of piracy at sea without the approval of their lord."

"I do move as I please."

A/N vootvoot. Review please, thank you.


	2. The Persuasion

**De Monte Verde**

Chapter Two  
_The Persuasion_

I pushed back a tuff of black hair that had reached my face. There was Admiral Estrada, in all his 6 foot haughtiness.

"As long as it is in accordance with your uncle, last time I checked on the matter." He smiled a bit too smugly for my tastes.

" 'Uncle' has little, if any, saw over how I move about the world."

"Is that true?"

"Yes, very much so." I stepped back to a more comfortable distance, "Now, if it is not too bold for me to ask, what brings you out of the Sea and to our humble town Admiral?" I stepped back further to admire some of Mr. O'Farrel's hat selection, "To visit our beloved Marquis and family no doubt?"

A faint red crept into his cheeks his cheeks, "I did have some business with the Marquis, but I find his home to be rather…not to my liking."

I feigned a look of surprise "Is that so Admiral! There is home no home more _exquisite_ than that of the Marquis of Vallado for miles! And the household contains such pleasant people," I traced the rim of a particularly absurd looking hat as I continued, "And with daughters of such remarkably beautiful disposition, especially the eldest! Some around here have even dared to hail her as the sapphire upon the Crown of Aragon! No man should find that home in their ill tastes!" My words had their desired effect upon the silent Admiral. The faint blush now consumed the greater part of his face. So it was true…

"Must you persist in such an uncivil manner Miss Francesca?"

"I am afraid I must press a bit further sir, if you do not my mind my doing so." I stepped a bit in his direction.

"As a matter of-"

"Good! No objections! Well as I was about to ask. Did you really go about in such a bumbling manner in proposing as the flock of little birdies tell me?"

He let out a most wonderful defeated sigh.

"I am afraid so."

"And did she really answer with such humiliating actions!"

"The sapphire of the Crown of Aragon is in fact very cruel. But the disgrace I suffered in her hands were very well deserved after acting in such an idiotic way."

I had had my fun; I would be on the verge of pitying him had he been some other person. But he remained inclined to remain Admiral Estrada. So I afforded him no pity. "And the Marquis still accepts you into his home!"

He shot an icy glare, which was of no consequence to after receiving a multitude of these on prior occasions.

"Yes, the Marquis still greets me with the utmost civility, unlike other acquaintances I have here."

I made my way towards him, his icy glare unrelenting. I grazed his shoulder with my chin and whispered, "It's all part of my charm, love." I stepped back as Mr. O'Farrel appeared with my desired footwear.

"Functional, comfortable, leather _pirate_ boots Miss!"

"Oh thank you Mr. O'Farrel! They are positively _divine_!" I gave him the price of the boots, a bit more in gratitude. Then made another respectable curtsey in the Admiral's direction, "I must be on my way my dear Admiral."

I spun meaning to go back home, but was stopped with a firm hand on the shoulder.

"I must protest Miss Francesca. But I have a proposition to be heard by you."

I stayed in place.

"Well," another dramatic spin brought me face to face with him, with a little help from my toes of course, (which brought me not very much nearer)  
"Let us go to my place for a spell aye?"

He offered his arm, which I more than happily took, "To the Green Hill! A-Ho!"

A/N A-Ho! vooooot.


	3. The Proposition

**De Monte Verde**

Chapter Two  
_The Proposition_

A short enjoyable walk later, we reached my late mother's fine drinking establishment. One could see it as fine, considering our neighbors. To the left, Alfonso Guzman, owner of a butchery that had to be a danger to public health with the multitude of blood and guts allowed to spew out into the streets. To the right, Luis Perez, a professional rat killer who liked to hang his victims outside his windows. But in the center was home. Uncharacteristically clean for the area, it stuck out enough it didn't need to be coated in bright green paint. But at the same time, it had to be. Hanging above the door was an intricate woodcarving bearing the venue's name, _The Green Hill_, it cast a rather odd looking outline upon the small fat man waiting beneath it.

"Francesca! WHAT IN HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING!"

"Walking. Now excuse me Uncle, but I have some words to exchange with the kind Admiral."

The entirety of 'Uncle's' baldhead became an awful shade of red. Most unbecoming if you ask me. But nothing was ever becoming on him though. He stepped to the side and made a low bow trying to conceal his face. But he was bald. Leading forward, we stepped into The Green Hill. The walls inside were covered with murals of forest that I had painted when I was younger. I was quite the artist if I do say so myself. But the bodies of drunkard customers, of which there was no serious lack, blocked their view. Upon reaching the far end of the tavern I detached myself from the Admiral. Concha, our hired bar keep appeared with two pints. The Admiral earnestly began chugging his.

"Proposition?"

"Ah! Well." Pint slammed atop the table, he continued, "I wish to settle our debt!"

"I never thought I would hear that so soon, I expected to be repaid on my deathbed."

"Well, I am not so sure now. Besides, you did not save me from much embarrassment. I still suffered greatly at the hands of Miss Vallado. So much that your help may have been-"

"You accepted the price! Now," I sipped my frothing mug, "how shall ye be choosing to pay me?"

He took another swig and pulled out a map from his waistcoat, "Hispaniola, that is how."

Unraveling it I found that it was a map of the Atlantic Ocean, a route to the Spanish Main. "So you are giving me are pirate infested island, how very nice."

"I am deploying from Cádiz in a fortnight, at the latest. And since you are always speaking of departing from the confines of this town and your Uncle, I would like to settle this debt by you accompanying me to the Caribbean Sea. We are being sent there to aid our trading ships from those bucanneer rogues. Of course, you are not obliged to helping us."

"Of course. Well. This is quite the offer. But, you cannot expect me to believe this will discharge you from being indebted.?"

"What else can I do! Or shall you plague me for the rest of my days!" he stood up rather violently, violently enough to send both of our mugs to the floor.

"I promise that the debt will be settled before I have finished the crossing. May I inquire as to when when are leaving?"

The Admiral sat back down, leaving the metal cups in their place on the floor.

"I have arranged for the carriage to arrive at first light. I am currently lodged at the- well the only inn in this forsaken place. I expect to see you there. I will buy you a new wardrobe once we reach Cádiz." He arched an eyebrow, which made him look incredibly silly in my opinion, "Debt settled?"

"You are getting there my dear Admiral, you are getting there."

A/N v00tv00t. Reviews would be very much appreciated.


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